Trying to keep myself busy during plebe summer...been already trying to think about plane tickets for the Thanksgiving Break. I know they cannot leave the yard until they are done with duties...any input on when they usually know this? Also, for the 4C's, is there a bus that travels to BWI or what tends to be the usual way to get oneself to the airport? Thanks! So far so good for my plebe, heard from him yesterday but of course did not remember to ask him all I wanted to...just let him talk!
Kmseamom -- realise you posted this a few weeks ago but there may be some new, Thanksgiving-related developments you may or may not be aware of.
While its always important to have flexibility when it comes to holiday/vacation liberty travel planning (weather, academic or conduct restrictions etc.), it's going to be particularly important to have flexibility this year because of Covid-19 and the impact it is having on yet to be finalized academic calendar scheduling.
As a result, absolutely make sure that any Thanksgiving air tickets you purchase for your Mid are refundable or can be applied to a future flight if plans change (i.e. Southwest Airlines for example.).
Here's the latest development that
may (repeat may) portend to how USNA
may handle Thanksgiving:
NAPS (The Naval Academy Prep School) released their updated academic calendar yesterday and announced that they will not be granting liberty to their Mids and Cadet Candidates over Thanksgiving. They will be kept on base and Thanksgiving will be celebrated there without liberty. The Mids/Cadet Candidates will have Christmas/New Year's Liberty starting on 10 December though running through 5 January (don't quote me on the return date -- I read the letter yesterday.)
Why am I bringing this up?
It's possible that this (the NAPS approach) may be a strategy that USNA will use over Thanksgiving and Xmas as well -- especially if travel and attendance @ Army-Navy for the Brigade is not in the cards.
Again, if USNA were to follow the plan that NAPS just announced, it means sadly that your Plebe won't be allowed to leave the Yard for Thanksgiving and tickets you had purchased for him, couldn't be used - hence the need to ensure they are refundable or could be applied to future flights.
Many current Mids and our parents had thought that this might be one potential scenario and seeing what NAPS decided to do, has a number of folks increasingly speculating that it may turn out to be the same case for USNA. In many ways, it makes sense -- releasing everyone for such a short period, to go travel extensively, only having to implement a ROM on their return which would conceptually end right at the beginning of Fall Break doesn't make a ton of sense.
That said, please remember at this point this remains 100% pure conjecture and the only certainty is that nothing is certain, especially this year.
a Midshipman wanting to get out of uniform and travel in civvies ? I think I traveled home in once...Christmas. Other than that, I recall stopping at a McDonalds that was roughly 7.000001 miles from the Gate. (The rule was 7 miles back then).
